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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias (TACs) is a grouping of headache syndromes that includes cluster headache, paroxysmal hemicrania and short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT). They are recognized clinically by their episodic, stereotypic attack profile and very often prominent cranial autonomic symptoms, such as lacrimation, conjunctival injection or rhinorrhea. They involve afferent activation of the trigeminal innervation of intracranial pain-producing structures, or the perception of that activation, and reflex activation of the facial, seventh cranial, nerve outflow pathway. This excess reflex trigeminal-autonomic activation seems to be permitted by dysfunction in the brain, specifically in the posterior hypothalamic gray matter. Understanding the anatomy and physiology of these disorders has greatly facilitated their management and the development of exciting new strategies such as neuromodulatory approaches to the management of the more intractable cases.
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PMID:Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias. Pathophysiology and classification. 1614 62

SUNCT (Short-lasting Unilateral Neuralgiform headache attacks with Conjunctival injection and Tearing) and SUNA (Short-lasting Unilateral Neuralgiform headache attacks with cranial Autonomic symptoms) are rare primary headache syndromes, classified as Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias (TACs). Hypothalamic involvement in the TACs has been suggested by functional imaging data and clinically with deep brain stimulation. Fifty-two patients (43 SUNCT, 9 SUNA) were studied to determine the clinical phenotype of these conditions and response to medications. A functional imaging study explored activation of the posterior hypothalamus in attacks of SUNCT/SUNA. The clinical study characterised SUNCT and SUNA in terms of epidemiology, phenotype and clinical characteristics. Indomethacin is ineffective on single-blind testing. Intravenous lidocaine was effective in all cases. Open-label trails showed the effectiveness of lamotrigine, topiramate and gabapentin. On functional imaging there was hypothalamic activation bilaterally in 5/9 SUNCT patients, and contralaterally in two patients. Two SUNCT patients had ipsilateral negative activation. In SUNA the activation was bilaterally negative. There was no hypothalamic activation in a patient with SUNCT secondary to a brainstem lesion. The data suggests that there should be revised classification for SUNCT and SUNA, with an increased range of attack duration and frequency, cutaneous triggering of attacks, and a lack of refractory period. The concept of 'attack load' is introduced. The lack of response to indomethacin and the response to intravenous lidocaine, are useful in diagnostic and therapeutic terms, respectively. Preventive treatments include lamotrigine, gabapentin and topiramate. The role of hypothalamic involvement in SUNCT and SUNA as TACs is considered.
Cephalalgia 2007 Jul
PMID:Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing. 1759 64

Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) can have atypical presentations like hiccups, vomiting, etc. which is classically described as the area postrema syndrome. Here we report a case of a 39 year old male patient who presented with features of Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgia (TAC). MRI spine showed long segment myelitis. Diagnosis of NMO was confirmed by a positive Anti aquaporin 4 antibody assay. TACs are a rare group of headache disorders characterized by severe unilateral headache in the V1 distribution of the trigeminal nerve and autonomic symptoms. This presentation in NMO is hitherto unreported in literature.
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PMID:Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia as a presenting feature of Neuromyelitis Optica: "A rare combination of two uncommon disorders". 2706 27

In Primary Headache Disorders, Part 1, we discuss three of the primary headache disorders using the headache definitions from ICHD-III (Beta): Migraine, with and without aura; its pathophysiology and treatment are discussed. We then discuss the Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias (TACs), including Cluster Headache and Hemicrania Continua, two more primary headache disorders, as well as the other TAC Headaches. We discuss pathophysiology as well as diagnosis, treatment, and pharmacotherapeutic management of these headache diatheses.
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PMID:Primary Headache Disorders Part I- Migraine and the Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias. 2888 60

Background Short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT) and short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with cranial autonomic symptoms (SUNA) are two rare headache syndromes classified broadly as Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias (TACs). Methods Here, 65 SUNCT (37 males) and 37 SUNA (18 males) patients were studied to describe their clinical manifestations and responses to treatment. Results Pain was almost always unilateral and side-locked. There were three types of attack: Single stabs, stab groups, and a saw-tooth pattern, with some patients experiencing a mixture of two types. As to cranial autonomic symptoms, SUNA patients mainly had lacrimation (41%) and ptosis (40%). Most cases of the two syndromes had attack triggers, and the most common triggers were touching, chewing, or eating for SUNCT, and chewing/eating and touching for SUNA. More than half of each group had a personal or family history of migraine that resulted in more likely photophobia, phonophobia and persistent pain between attacks. For short-term prevention, both syndromes were highly responsive to intravenous lidocaine by infusion; for long-term prevention, lamotrigine and topiramate were effective for SUNCT, and lamotrigine and gabapentin were efficacious in preventing SUNA attacks. A randomized placebo-controlled cross-over trial of topiramate in SUNCT using an N-of-1 design demonstrated it to be an effective treatment in line with clinical experience. Conclusions SUNCT and SUNA are rare primary headache disorders that are distinct and very often tractable to medical therapy.
Cephalalgia 2018 08
PMID:Phenotypic and treatment outcome data on SUNCT and SUNA, including a randomised placebo-controlled trial. 2909 22

The term "Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgia (TAC)" was first coined by Goadsby and Lipton[1] to include a group of relatively rare primary headache disorders characterized by moderate to severe, short-lived head pain in the trigeminal distribution with unilateral cranial parasympathetic autonomic features, such as lacrimation, rhinorrhea, conjunctival injection, eyelid edema, and ptosis. In the current International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3 beta),[2] the TAC group includes cluster headache (CH), paroxysmal hemicrania (PH), short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks (SUNHAs) and their 2 subforms - SUNHAs with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT), SUNHAs with cranial autonomic symptoms (SUNA). Hemicrania Continua (HC) is also now included in the TAC group. Although the entities included under TACs seem broadly similar, they differ in attack duration, frequency and their response to different treatments. At one end of the spectrum lies CH, the prototypic TAC where the duration of attacks is the longest and at the other end is the SUNCT syndrome where the duration is shortest. There is some overlap across the entities; they are not difficult to recognize and subclassify. The umbrella term "TAC" for the short-lasting headaches with autonomic features was for the first time introduced in The ICHD, 2nd edition (ICHD-2) published in 2004.[3] The beta version of the 3rd edition of The ICHD[2] was published in 2013. Headache classification being an evolving process, there have been some changes within the TAC group between ICHD-2 and ICHD-3 beta.[45] Diagnostic criteria have been revised to reflect pathophysiological and clinical observations. Neuroimaging has provided insights into the pathophysiology of TACs. Functional neuroimaging has helped to elucidate key structures activated during attacks of TACs. Correct diagnosis remains the key to correct management of the TACs because treatment options vary. The aim of this article will be to highlight the changes in ICHD-3 beta to this group and to emphasize the clinical implications of these changes. Description of individual entities included under TACs are included elsewhere and will therefore not be detailed here.
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PMID:Classification of Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgia: What has Changed in International Classification of Headache Disorders-3 Beta? 2972 Aug 18